Top 10 hints & tips to get the most from TactX

The world’s most advanced 3D animation coaching software!

TactX Animator is a fantastic piece of coaching software which provides the opportunity and ability to create any football animation in amazing 3D within minutes. To help minimise the time it takes to create your stunning TactX animations and maximise the time you have out on the pitch, we have compiled a list of 10 essential hints and tips when it comes to all things TactX…

1. Right or left foot?

Which foot a player uses to kick the ball is often very important when it comes to either demonstrating an activity or highlighting a piece of the action. TactX allows you choose which foot a player passes, crosses or shoots with by adding an additional movement before the action.

2. Add text

Adding text to your TactX creations can help you explain key aspects of information which can prove crucial if you have sent the videos to your players or fellow coaches and are not able to discuss or explain information in person.

To make your videos effective as a learning tool try to ensure all text used is concise and explain your points in stages. Just like when your coaching face-to-face, you don’t want to overload the viewer with an abundance of information in one go!

3. Add equipment within a dribble

Looking to create a circuit, drill or activity involving running or dribbling through cones, markers, and poles? Well, now you can with one simple action! Simply drag the piece of equipment onto the white circle which can be located between two ‘keyframes’ of any player and as if by magic, TactX will automatically create your run or dribble. You can alter the number of cones, markers or poles by adjusting the distance of the dribble.

A ‘keyframe’ is the term used to describe each player’s individual icon which are displayed in 2D mode (strip within a circle). Every ‘keyframe’ created is indicated on a players timeline which makes it easy to locate each players position at a specific moment in time.

4. ‘Scrubbing’ the timeline

Scrubbing the timeline provides a quick and easy way to look through your TactX creation to check for timings and position. Simply left click and hold on the timeline and drag either left or right to navigate along the animation. Remember each player has their own unique timeline so remember to select the correct player’s timeline first by clicking on any of their ‘keyframes’.

Creating TactX animations is much quicker when using a mouse opposed to a touchpad. One of the main advantages of using a mouse is the scroll function: which will allow you to either minimize or maximize your timeline to give you, even more, control and accuracy.

5. Create templates

If you are looking to create a range of animations which are similar to one another (use the same set up of cones, markers – same starting sequence when playing out from the back etc) using a template will save you time and allow you to get away from the computer and back onto the pitch!

Alternatively, you can purchase a set of 20 ready to use templates from the TactX Store for only £7.50! The pack contains a selection of templates including everything from possession game setups to section divided full pitches.

6. Pass into space icon

The pass into space icon is the perfect tool when you want a player to kick or leave a ball in a specific area of the pitch or next to a marker. The tool can be located in the kit bag from the main menu and works the same way as a pass to another player. Simply left click and drag the ball from the selected player onto the pass into space icon. Like everything else in TactX, both the icon and player can be re-positioned after the initial action has been created making it easy to adjust your animations.

7. Tackling

Although it is not a direct option within TactX, like passing or shooting, it is possible to have players tackle one another. This can be done by having one player pass to another player at very close proximity. The easiest way of creating this is by adjusting the positions of the icons after the pass has been made so that you are able to place both ‘keyframes’ almost on top of one another.

8. Leave a lose end!

There is nothing worse when creating a TactX animation that losing the end keyframe for a particular player. Well, struggle no more… If there is a lot of movement within the area of play, create a final run for each player outside of the congested area. This will let you create runs easily without having to find the player within your area of play. Once you have completed your animation simply delete the final keyframe of each player which are now easy to find!

9. Control players body positions

Ensure that your players always face the direction you want either when passing or receiving the ball by adding a movement either side of a passing player’s keyframe. The best way to remember this tip is to think of it as TactX’s very own ‘Rule of Three’ – every time a player is involved in an action (shooting, passing, crossing) ensure that there are three keyframes (before | action | after) to create perfect TactX animations – unless of course, you want to include a no-look pass!

10. Ball work first, runs second

If you are looking to create a complex animation with a lot of movement it can sometimes become overwhelming knowing where to start. We recommend that you started by completing all of the actions that involve the ball as this normally involves the most amount of time to align passes and timings of runs etc… Once this has been completed it is then simply and easy to add your additional players. Again to keep it as simple as possible add in each player one by one so that you can fully concentrate on them instead of trying to focus on the movement and timings of eight players at once.

Did you find these essential hints and tips useful? Have discovered your own which are not on the list? Or do you still have questions regarding how to complete an action using TactX? Then please let us know! We love hearing from our customers.

If you want to make a head start on your TactX creations or are simply looking for some new coaching content we have a selection of football coaching activity packs available at TactX Drills now. Each pack contains 10 professionally designed drills animated with TactX. Every drill comes with the TactX Animator file, which you can load into the application to use and modify as you need, an HD video of the drill animation, and a set of written coaches notes.

Alternatively, you can book a TactX training session with one of our experts which are delivered via Skype allowing us to connect with users across the globe! To book a session please use the contact form or email store@tactx.co.uk